The Love Potion
by Pricystag
Summary: Three years after the war. Lives were normal again, and Harry Potter was scarcely sober. But a mysterious disappearance of a Ministry Official brought him back to his post as an Auror, accompanied by the allegedly-converted Draco Malfoy. But was he really? Or was he luring Harry into a trap...? Post-war, Drarry
1. Chapter 1: The Mission

Chapter One: The Mission

"Draco," He turned at the sound of his father's voice, and saw Lucius' face devoid of expression: "The Dark Lord wants to see you."/li  
Draco's gray eyes searched his father's for a moment, trying to discern some trace of fatherly expression in the blank shades of gray. As expected, he didn't find any. His father Occlumency seems to excel whenever he faces his son.

Draco nodded at his father and made to leave, when Lucius Malfoy suddenly stepped forward and took his arm in a vice-like grip. "Draco, do not waver in your loyalties." Lucius whispered in his ear, his low voice scraping against his brain, "Keep in mind that the Dark Lord will not be cheated. Do not be misled by your mother's soft-hearted…stupidity." Draco's gaze flew to meet his father's. He knew of Narcissa's secret plots for the two of them then. Narcissa had once tried to persuade him to curse off the dark mark and leave with her. "I'm not my mother." Draco said quietly. "No, you are not," Lucius said, bringing his face closer to Draco's, "prove to me that you have not been breached by Dumbledore, the soft-hearted old fool."

"Come Draco," Beckoned the high-pitched voice. Not daring to look up, Draco knelt at the feet of the dark-robed figure, and bowed his white-blond head. He could feel waves of danger emanating from white bag of bones overhead. "My Lord, the diadem is destroyed." Voldemort let lose a chuckle. "Well done my boy, the Malfoy blood is ever diligent in deception." Draco said nothing as he watched the white hands twirling the Elder Wand. Such a shame for the golden trio and Dumbledore, the Dark Lord had already known that the diadem was cursed from the beginning. He found out from Snape that the diadem was cursed to repel piece of soul, and at the same time slowly eating away the core soul. Though he was once compelled to kill him, Draco had to admit that Dumbledore was a brilliant wizard. He managed to find channel a connection between the items of the four houses, and by putting a soul-repellent curse on the Gryffindor sword, he cursed the Slytherin locket, Hufflepuff's cup, and Ravenclaw's diadem to trump up the soul inside. Also, Dumbledore had used an ancient spell to connect the parts of the soul together, so as to eat away the core soul of Voldemort.

"Draco, I want you to kill me."  
Draco's gray eyes widened as he bowed his head, tucking his chin into his pale neck. He waited for the curse to come.  
"My-my Lord? What have I-"  
"No, Draco." Voldemort's lipless mouth twisted into a smile. "I want you to let Harry kill me."  
"My Lord-I can bring Potter to you. Godfather betrayed you, but I, my Lord, will never-"  
"Draco," He felt the cold tip of Voldemort's wand lightly against his forehead, "Do you know what Dumbledore had planned? He wants Potter to come to me and beg to be killed. He plans to have all of my Horcruxes destroyed so that I will be weak and alone by the time Potter confronts me. Do you think I'm going to let that happen?"  
"No, my Lord." Draco felt an ominous chill creeping up his spine.  
"No, my Draco." Voldemort traced Draco's chin with the tip of his wand. "Because you are going to kill me and help me reborn."


	2. Chapter 2: The Confrontation

Chapter 2

Voldemort led the remaining band of Death Eaters into the Great Hall, with Draco at his side.

Harry's eyes widened as the remaining teachers, students and members of the Order gathered to meet them.

"Harry Potter, finally out from the shielding cloaks of Dumbledore!" Voldemort jeered, but his red eyes were fixed upon Harry's green ones, anticipating his reaction to the insult.

Harry's expression hardened as he gripped his phoenix wand. "He is ten times the man you are." "It's all over Voldemort. All the Horcruxes have been destroyed, it's only you and me now."

Voldemort laughed softly. "Well done my boy, only you and me. Just like the beginning." The memory of Lily stung Harry's eyes, as the blackness in his eyes envelops the green. Voldemort weighed his reaction, and twitched his wand.

"But this time your mother isn't here anymore. But you've got Dumbledore, you've got your Godfather, and you've got Severus Snape to save your skin. But they all died, hadn't they? Now, there's only the weak children and oh, you've still got the Weasleys blood traitor covering your ass! But I hear one of the twins died…what a pity." Voldemort extended his hands, with wand in his hand. Harry's vision turned red as the memory of Fred's lifeless face floated into his mind's eye. He saw Voldemort's wand pointed towards him, saw the lipless mouth open with a snarl-"Avada Kedavra!" Harry shouted, pointing his own phoenix wand at Voldemort. A jet of green light exploded from the tip of his wand and hit Voldemort squarely in the chest.

Voldemort's features froze with the spell on his lips unuttered, his white hands empty as he fell to the ground.

"My Lord!" Draco watch his fellow Death Eaters surge towards the form with despairing shrieks and cries, watching dark flames explode around Aunt Bellatrix, the flames catching on to the Hogwarts students and teachers as they let out tormented shrieks; Yaxley and Avery was fending off charming shot towards him; Crabbe and Goyle stood in a daze as they watch the Hogwartians envelop Potter and each other with hugs and tears.

"Hold!" Draco commanded in his mind, tapping into the Dark Mark to gain access into his fellow Death Eater's minds, "Rebirth, Gaunt's Manor." He spoke the password that Voldemort had given him, and immediately saw Death Eaters disaparating.

In the corner of his eye he caught Potter enveloped by friends and students, his eyes found Draco's. The green eyes were alert and empty as they stared into his.

Then he Disapparated.


	3. Chapter 3: Draco Malfoy

Chapter Three: Draco Malfoy

The Gaunt's Manor as filthy and dilapidated from the outside as it had been 50 years ago, when Marvolo Gaunt was found dead with his ring missing on the forefinger. But the inside was almost the same as Malfoy Manor, with its dark ceilings and cold marble floors, and a long wooden table in its center. The figures that sat around the table were slouched in exhaustion, but their attention seemed to focus keenly, almost with sickening fervor, on the blond man at the head of the table. The blond man at the head of the table was speaking in a drawling voice. Hands entwined in his lap, his posture was relaxed and elegant but tense in every muscle., "You all have received secret orders from the Dark Lord, since you have all entered the room unscathed. Those of you who lie would have become ashes the minute you cross the threshold." The figures around the table shifted uncomfortably.

"Malfoy, what is this? The Dark Lord is going to reborn?" It was Yaxley who spoke. His hood was thrown back to reveal bloodstains on his neck and face. "Why let Potter kill him in the first place?"

Draco laughed softly. "The Dark Lord does not like to be questioned, Yaxley. The most I can reveal is that the undamaged piece of soul lies in the body of Harry Potter. You know about Horcruxes, don't you Yaxley? Dumbledore has placed a curse on all the Horcruxes except Potter."

"So the Dark Lord will use Potter's body as a host?" Blaise asked with a sneer. Draco nodded. "Also mine. A piece of the Dark Lord's soul is in my body." With the magic of him and Potter combined, the Dark Lord will be able to reborn with a healthy and magically-sufficient soul.

The figures around the room stiffened in reluctant respect, and even the temperature around the room seemed to have dropped two degrees.

"It is high time that we lie low for a while," Draco said, gray eyes staring in turn into each pair of eyes that were fixed upon him, in which were both awe and dislike, "The Order and the ministry will be alert for a few months. Once they've all sent the others into Azkaban and placed a new Minister of Magic on the chair," Draco's tone lowered, "Then we will catch them by surprise."

3 years later

Harry Potter was sitting in the Buttercups' Bar, with a bottle of whiskey in hand, humming along to the music drifting from the radio in the corner of the bar. The bar maid had smiled to him and pulled down her front to show him her cleavage. Harry flexed his fingers inwardly.

Three years after the war. Yes, he had been the Boy-Who-Lived in the first 17 years of his life and the Hero-of-the-wizarding-world in the last three. With people following him everywhere, it was hard for him to forget the face of Voldemort, the faces of Fred, Lupin and Tonks. And Molly, who was caught in the Fiendfyre set off by the wrath of Bellatrix's magic, died in St. Mongos with a ruined face. He had been to her funeral without shedding a single tear, because it seemed as though all his tears were shed by the entire Weasley family, who stayed in front of Molly's tombstone for two days. The Weasleys didn't blame him, though. Ron didn't shout to him, "You killed my mum!" like he would have done when his was younger. But he only pulled him into a hug so tight that Harry wished he had been squeezed to death. Lines were showing on Ron's face, but his eyes were dry as he held Hermione by her shaking shoulders.

But he stopped seeing the Weasleys, apart from letters and two annual visits at Christmas and Easter. It burned him the hardest when he entered the Burrow, which, without the usual bustle of Molly and jokes of the twins, seemed as forlorn as a place can be, especially with Molly's old clock and recipes piled up to a staggering height. But there is no one to read them now. Nobody stayed at the Burrow permanently. Ron and Ginny had to go to school, George decided to camp out in the Joke Shop with Angelina Johnson, and Mr. Weasley, after a month of going home to a cold fire and empty table, afterwards shut himself in his office every day, only coming out for drinks and meals. Harry heard Archie tell Kingsley that Mr. Weasley's hair had turned white, and sobs were often heard from behind the closed door.

Harry's gaze followed the bar maid as her swaying hips disappeared behind the counter. "Feeling lonely?" Harry's hand instinctively flew to his wand in his back pocket, but relaxed slightly when he saw Draco lounging lazily in front of him. Harry smiled at him, and gestured to the barmaid to take up a glass.

"No, thank you, Potter." Draco said as he cast Harry a look. "Why not?" Harry caught his wrist, and poured a glass into Draco's glass and pushed it in front of him. "Go ahead, I want to see you drink."

"I thought time has worn off your freakish taste for eccentricities." Draco raised an eyebrow as he brought the glass to his lips, "Still too much to get drunk about?"

"I've been down to see Molly." Harry said shortly, gulping down his share of whiskey. After the war, Draco had been cleared of charge quickly for testifying both of his parents guilty. Malfoy had asked him to, for the sake of the family reputation. The Malfoys didn't spend much time in Azkaban really, and it was six months after they were thrown in that Draco succeeded in buying their way out. Harry had watched the blond man, the manners of boyhood forever left behind, pronounce coldly in the court his own innocence and his "untimely" seduction by the Dark Lord, and lifting out his arm to show the gaping audience the absence of a mark, which Harry knew was cursed off before the hearing, leaving an ugly scar. After 6 months of ethical services, Draco ran into Harry in the Buttercups' Bar, drunk as hell and fighting with another drunkard, who, according to Harry, had robbed him of his girlfriend.

Harry felt the urge to explain when he saw Draco's well-bred disgust at his swollen face. "Son of a bitch…he *** her…I **** saw them…he was tearing her clothes off and she was yelling…" Draco's expression was almost close laughing, "What happened to the Weasley girl?" He tried to hold Harry up. Harry saw the blurred lines of the other boy's face, and reached out to feel the sharp cheek bones. "Molly…died. I can't be with her after that." Draco held the other boy as he cried, then vomited onto his shirt.

From then on Harry thought Draco a reliable drinking pal, and Draco for some reason, did not shun his once-rival, perhaps out of pity for the sunken Harry Potter. Harry knew that although Draco fought along side the Order of Pheonix when rounding up the Death Eaters, the Dark Mark still imprints a mark on his soul like the ugly scar on his pale forearm, making him the subject to suspicion and distrust from many in the Wizarding community.

"Weasley caught Lestrange," Draco said, taking another sip form the glass, "But you set up the trap, didn't you?" Harry lifted the corner of his mouth as he poured another glass for himself. He frequently felt as if there are two people in his body: the first being the Man-Who-Lived, the head of the Order, which fought along with the Aurors to round up the last of the Death Eaters who were in hiding; and the second being the frequent visitor of nightclubs and bars in muggle London. He wore disguise though, and so did Malfoy.

"Yes, she turned out to be an unregistered Animagus, in form of a cat, can you believe?" Harry said, "Shot a blast of curses that blew off the roof top, I heard, and screamed 'The Dark Lord will return and kill you', as if she haven't already seen the bloke's body blasted into bits." Draco's knuckles tightened on his glass. "The Dark Lord's body was ruined." He didn't make it sound like a question, but Harry heard from his tone that he hadn't heard the news before. "I dunno if it's real or not, but Rufus told me some mob dug up his grave on Victory Day and did something with the body. I'm not so keen in digging up the bits to take a look."

Draco was silent. Blast my mouth, Harry thought as he realized that Draco still wasn't comfortable with the mention of Voldemort, so he endeavored to change the subject. Although Harry still distrusted his drinking pal and have not promoted Draco into the rank of "mate", he never meant to tug at the wound that Voldemort left in Draco's soul, which is identical to the one on his. After all, he can no longer accuse Draco of anything because of his steadfastness in switching to their side and remarkable contribution in capturing Dolohov, Lestrange and Fenrir, who were known to be the innermost circle in Voldemort's band. But distrust and dislike compiled for 17 years can't wear off so easily.

"So how's your trip to Sweden?" Despite the liquor that was mashing up his brain, Harry could see from Draco's dusty traveling coat that he had just come back. Draco had been sent to Sweden to investigate the disappearance of Taylor Traits, the brother of Teddy Traits, who was a Slytherin 2 years above Harry. The Traits family had been neutral in the War, but was openly averse the idea of Pureblood supremacy. "There's been no apparent sign of struggle obviously," Draco, said after a pause, "But the whole place was marked by traces of dark magic, and there are some spells that I don't recognize. But he either went accordingly, or was taken in submission, possibly…" "The Imperius Curse." Harry finished for him, green eyes suddenly sharp and alert. Draco nodded. "The Traits, they are brilliant wizards. New aristocrats, possibly from the time of the first World War," Draco remembered calmly, "They never took sides, though the Dark Lord wanted to recruit Teddy. Teddy was one of the most learned ones in our year, especially in Dark Arts, but as you know, the family despised the idea of Pureblood Supremacy." "Why Taylor then, if Teddy was the brilliant one?" "I've been wondering," Draco inclined his pale blond head in thought, "Taylor was the Prefect of his year, but the Dark Lord never mentioned him." "Have you talked to Teddy then?" Draco laughed, "Potter, how drunk are you? Would he have told me if he had anything to do with it?" Harry paused, weighing what Draco had just said, green eyes darkening as they stared into Draco's. He felt Malfoy meet his gaze with a controlled look, that seemed almost meaningfully cold in its wake. They stared at each other for a while. Finally, Harry broke the gaze and took another gulp from his glass, eyes returning to their hazy liqurish green.

"Your fellow men are still playing the cards. I wonder when the game stops?" Harry laughed hands shaking as he poured Draco's glass to the brim full. "Drink to the health of Voldemort. Drink to the everlasting game!" He shouted with feet on his chair, raising his glass to the room. Most people turned around and laughed, but Draco saw the pretty bar maid's features contorted in surprise and fear.

Finally, Harry drank himself to sleep on Draco's shoulder. Draco disentangled himself from Harry, cursing Harry for making him slightly dizzy. He straightened and brushed off his cloak, preparing to leave, when he noticed Harry's shirt had opened wide to reveal his chest. He had heard some of the girls say that Harry Potter had a hippogriff tattooed across his chest, but Harry's chest was whiter than his face, though gleaming with red dashes of healed wounds. Draco found himself staring. He caught himself when Harry shifted in position, and buttoned Harry's shirt.

"Soon, Harry Potter. The game will be over soon."

"Are you a witch?" "No suh, Amma Squib." "Worked here for long?" "Jus' a few weeks." "Forget that you ever saw me." "Mistuh Malfoy-" "Obliviate."


	4. Chapter 4: Taylor Traits

Chapter 4: Teddy Traits

Draco stood alone in the Gaunts' Manor, facing the long wooden table in front of him. He tapped into the Dark Mark and spoke a password, minutes later, a young man in dark robes materialized in front of him.

"Traits," Draco addressed the man, "Harry Potter fell for the trap. You are going to invite him to tea when he comes."

Teddy Traits bowed his head, "Yes, my Lord."

Draco stiffened. "I'm not the Dark Lord yet. Be careful with that title. Is the potion ready?"

"Yes, it is." Teddy's gaze was burning on Draco's face. This boy is getting under his skin. Taylor had recommended his brother to him in this conspiracy, but the boy followed Draco everywhere.

"I'll lead him to you, then."

When Harry arrived at door step of Number Twelve Grimauld Place, he felt cold air rush over him as Moody's voice said in his ear, "Severus Snape?"

"I didn't kill you, Mad Eye." He replied calmly, wondering why on earth had they not changed the password to something else, since Snape had already been proved to be the hero. "Harry!"

Neville's voice called from the depth of the hallway, "Come join us! Hermione's made dinner!" Harry's heart skipped a beat as he saw the familiar bushy brown head bobbing up and down between the pots and pans of the kitchen. The kitchen of Number 12 was nothing like what it had been 5 years ago when they first moved in. The whole place was gleaming with newly pasted wallpaper and fresh carpets, but Harry still feel a pit yawning in his heart whenever he remembered the people who used to eat at this table. But otherwise he had no where to go, and since Number 12 also served as the headquarters for the current Order, the new faces that appear at dinner can also quell Harry's sense of nostalgia.

Harry sat down to a table surrounded by the current members of the Order. There was Angelina Johnson smooching with George, who grinned at Harry when he came in; Cho Chang, now working in the Department of Dangerous Magical creatures, who was arguing heatedly with Luna Lovegood about the restriction on the Fire Chickens; Zacharias Smith, who still has traces of the snobby teenagers from 5 years ago, now an Auror working under Kingsley Shacklebolt, explaining a map of some kind on the table to Hannah Abbot, who had become the secretary to the Department of Treasury; Terry Boot lounging in the chair, joking with Seamus and Dean, who had both become full-time Aurors…and at the head of the table was Ron, Hermione and Neville, all casting amused looks at Bill and Fleur, as they argued heatedly about Teddy and Victoire. The three of them gestured to Harry as he came in, and the rest of the room greeted him enthusiastically.

"Harry," said Neville, whose round face has gained a lot of angles from the last three years of fighting, "Kingsley and the others couldn't make it, but we must get together for this." He beckoned to others as they raised their glasses of butterbeer, "To the Order!" "To the Order!" The others chorus as they clinked their glasses and gulped down their beer. "Finally!" Seamus said as he tucked into the food, "That elusive Lestrange is finally in Azkaban. I can finally get a good nights' sleep." "Like you hadn't before," Dean snorted, "The last time I checked, you were snoring at the break of dawn." Harry cast an interested look at the two best pals. "Are you two together now?" Terry Boot snorted loudly, "Blimey mate, what is going on with your head?" Harry felt his face grow hot. In fact, Seamus and Dean had always looked too close for companionship, especially with regard to Seamus' anguished attempt to hide Dean in his home when the Death Eaters came in search of him. But Dean and Seamus just grinned at Harry, and said nothing in defense of their innocence, which made Harry even more suspicious.

"So has Malfoy found anything new with Traits' case?" Ron asked the others, pouring himself a butterbeer. Harry noticed that although Hermione was sitting near him, she did not look once at him while he spoke. Harry sighed, Hermione and Ron are still angry at each other then. Hermione freaked out after she found Ron's shirt collar stained with lipstick, and refused to believe that he was seduced by a veela. But it was Ron's fault, since it was him who insisted on their trip to the Veelas' Cavern. And Ron, after a week of explaining and swearing, lost it and moved out of their house and camped out in Number 12 Grimmauld Place. "You should have let her use legilimens, you know," Harry advised finally, after two days of watching Ron eat chocolate frogs in front of his muggle television, which was given to him by Mr. Weasley on his 20 birthday.

"Malfoy said him didn't get much out of the scene," Angelina replied, stuffing bread into her mouth, "Teddy Traits didn't tell him much, either." Hannah Abbot frowned. "This is bizarre. As far as we know, the Traits family didn't have anything to do with Voldemort or the Death Eaters, and Taylor wasn't even as famous as his little brother. Why would somebody want to seize him?" "I'm surprised that Malfoy didn't get anything from the trip," Ron turned to Harry darkly, "He didn't seem so lame when he was rounding up the Big Three." Harry heard his undertone, but Cho Chang spoke up. "Malfoy's loyalty had already been proven. Besides, what reasons would he have for turning against us?" Her dark eyes met Harry's, eager for assurance, but Harry was silent. Although he could trust Draco Malfoy with his life, he could not trust him with his heart. Ron was right, the more he thought about it, the stranger it became. "The Traits were at the Ministry this morning," Harry informed the others, "They seemed worried. I did a quick Legilimens of them, and they certainly didn't have anything to do with Taylor's disappearance." Mrs. Traits was in tears as she clutched Harry's hand and swore that their family never had anything to do with the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, and that they were terrified and had sought the protection of the Ministry. "So now it all lies in the scene, and the words of Draco and Teddy." Hermione said, brow furrowed. "You should go, Harry, and see for yourself." Hermione always knew what he was thinking about, Harry thought with a smile, as the he joined the rest of the Order in analysis of the crime scene, which was taken out of Draco's memory.

After dinner, he went upstairs to his room. Fastening his door, he plucked a strand of hair from his head and spoke a spell. The hair morphed into a feather and disappeared with a pop. Minutes later, in the dingy basement of the Malfoy Manor, where it was once used for detaining prisoners, a black-colored feather materialized out of thin air and dropped into Draco's lap. On it were golden letters: "Sweden. Tomorrow at 5. Meet you at headquarters. H.P." Draco caught up the feather, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

Harry was aroused by the sound of his chicken clock clucking in his ear. The sun had just gone up, and the veranda beneath his window was empty and morose.

He pulled on his robes, deep in thought. He had a feeling that Malfoy was holding something back, since according to his knowledge of Teddy Traits, who was one of the cleverest in his year, details wouldn't go unnoticed by him. Harry scratched his scar with a sigh, and poked his wad safely into his pocket. Although reluctant to do so, Oclummency around Draco Malfoy will still be the safest option.

They arrived at the inn by Floo powder. The Inn was unlike any inn that Harry had been to before. It was a wizards' inn, and it was richly furnished. House elves scuttled around the Ground floor holding staggering piles of towels and trays, disappearing and appearing here and there with small cracks. A room service maid led the two up a richly furnished stairway and stopped in front of an oak door. "'ere it is, Mistuh Traits' room." The maid took out her wand and prodded it into the small hole that takes the place of the handle and the lock. The door opened, revealing an expensive-looking room with a double bed in the center.

A double bed? Harry raised an eyebrow to Malfoy. "We was wonderin' the sime thing, cuz Mistuh Traits caimma 'lone." The maid answered Harry's unspoken question. Harry couldn't help but admire the Swedish wizards. Some of them are elicit practitioners of magic, but they often insist on dwelling in solitary places and taking petty jobs. Harry could tell from the swiftness and agility the maid used her wand that she was no common witch.

The maid left, leaving Harry and Draco in the room.

"She's pretty." Harry remarked, carefully watching Draco. Malfoy gave a curt smile. "Let's get to work, shall we? Swedish witches are nothing to play around with." He squatted down near the footstool of the bed, which has a serpent entwined on one of its legs. "Here are some traces of magic I found. Apparently, it was strong magic, practiced against the will of its subject." Draco tapped his wand on the leg of the double bed, which glowed in an ominous shade of green. "You are right, it was dark magic." Harry acquiesced, crouching down also. "Revelio!" Misty green light and wisps of dark smoke circulated around the spot. "Wait…" Harry felt the green light cling onto his wand and merge with its energy, causing his wand to vibrate. "Your wand remembers this spell," Malfoy lowered his eyelids at Harry, "Potter, what evil spells have you used?" "I don't…" Harry tried to recall the spell, green light, wisps of dark smoke… "Specialius Revelio!" Draco pointed his wand at Harry's, which jerked a little on his hand, and let lose an image, of a person bound by ropes. But as the spell strengthened, long spikes grew from the ropes and pierced the person's skin. Harry saw Malfoy's eyes widen as he recognized the person whose face grew clearer as the mist solidified-it was Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Bang!" Harry's wand spun out of his hand as Malfoy loosened the Revealing Charm. Harry reached out and the wand flew back into his hand. Malfoy was looking at him with a curious expression on his face. "The Disemboweling Charm. You used it on my dear Aunt Bellatrix." Harry felt his hands shaking and trying to steady it, said through gritted teeth, "She's lucky that I didn't give her straight to the dementors to kiss." The charm was meant to eat away a person's bowels, which in turn tears a person's soul. When Harry saw the gaunt face of Bellatrix Lestrange behind the bars of Azkaban when Ron first caught her, his mind went blank. His wand acted out of its own accord as it slashed the air in front of him, and squeezed Bellatrix with ropes that grew spikes penetrating into her flesh. Harry heard her howls as the spikes ate away at her bowel and soul, chanting the spell with a hatred and fury that made blood pound against his veins and threatened to burst his heart. It was Ron, who had broken into the cell and stupefied him to stop his dark spell. Just through thinking of it, Harry's heart thumped with an unfamiliar clanging against his ribs, as his hand shook even more, as if relishing the evil spell. He looked at Draco, who was staring at him intently. His gray eyes reflected a fleeting shadow of something dark and desirous, then it was gone as Draco smoothed his face and met his look with an amused smirk.

"You've used a spell worse than the Unforgivable Curses, Saint Potter," Draco nodded to him appreciatively, "But I have used the Unforgivable Curses multiple times myself, so don't panic." His gray eyes swept over Harry's shaking hand and wand, and Harry's hand steadied. "Thank you." Harry regained the control of his breathing, "So you reckon Traits was the subject of this Disemboweling Charm?"

"Whoever it is, he must have cleaned it up pretty sharply." Malfoy said, "Here's where the blood had spilled." Harry pointed his wand at the place where the blood used to be, and then at the bed leg and muttered an incantation. He frowned at his phoenix wand, which emitted red sparks. "It's not by the same wand." Draco did not react. "It's from two different wands! Is it likely that Traits was in on this or something? But who would have used this spell on himself?" Draco was didn't move, but looked fixedly at the patch of carpet, deep in thought. "Or two others people attacked Traits? If that happened, it most certainly proves' Traits innocence." Harry waved his wand, and sent his Patronus flying through the door. Seconds later, the room service maid was in the room.

"Did anyone who didn't check in ask for Traits?" Harry questioned. The maid shook her head. "Nope, not wile Mistuh Traits was stayin' at the hotel." "Can you Apparate straight into the room or not?" "'Course not, Mistuh Potter, only staff can Apparate in and out of these rooms. Even the guests themselves have to use their wands to get in." "What about Floo powder?" "Only if they are admitted in by the guest."

Getting more confused by the minute, Harry looked at Draco, who asked quietly. "Did Teddy Traits come to see his brother?" "Nuh, but Mr Traits once visited his brother during his stay." "This is strange. All evidence points to Traits being tortured then captured by dark wizards, yet no one could have entered his room without him admitting." "Yes," Draco continued, deep in thought, "If he had admitted someone into his room, it must have been an acquaintance -" "We have no record of anyone entering through Floo Powder," The maid interrupted briskly, "We monitor our fireplaces, Mistuh Malfoy." Harry noticed that she wasn't speaking in the strange accent anymore.

"It's bizarre." Harry said to Draco, who was silently buttoning his pajamas. They were staying at the inn in a two-person room, and Harry was sitting on the couch with his feet propped up against the table, flipping through the Daily Prophet. "Why was Taylor Traits abducted anyway? Wasn't he the best boy in Slytherin?"

"He was, in a manner of speaking," Malfoy propped himself up by the pillows and opened a book, "Never drunk, never high, never broke any rules. Perfect grades, 5 N.E.W.T.S., and certainly a dark arts hater." "Could that be it?" Harry raised his eyes from the newspaper, "Because he openly denounced the dark arts, some maniac dark arts lover decided to disembowel him?" Malfoy smirked. "You forget who you are talking to. But it's not a maniac. Those who can master the Disemboweling Charm must have had a great enough mind and a sinister enough motive. And the Scourgifying spell, too perfect for the hands of a maniac."

Harry was silent for a while, gazing at the lines of the Prophet without taking it in. "Is it possible that some of your former mates-" "It couldn't be true even if it were possible. I highly doubt that aside from the Big Three, any Death Eater could have performed such a difficult spell; and remember, they all served under the Dark Lord, so they are not stupid enough to touch such a strong advocate against the dark arts. It's probably some new force who's naïve enough to target the unfortunate Mr. Traits." Harry felt his lips tighten as he heard the eminent dislike in Draco's casual tone. Though Traits kept a relatively low profile before, and after the war, he was nevertheless vehemently outspoken against the dark arts. It was known to most of the Ministry and the Death Eaters that he, the quiet genteel Slytherin, was the anonymous writer in the Daily Prophet who vehemently criticized the Pureblood Supremacy and the followers of the dark arts in the early days of their victory. Also, as his position was too subtle, being a Slytherin who grew up in an anti-Pureblood supremacy family and known to be neutral during the war, there had been a lot of controversy surrounding him, though he never has never made public appearances.

As for the guesses about his position during the war, Harry highly doubted that Voldemort didn't try to recruit him, perhaps through Draco, but as clever as he was, he must have been too cautious to relent but too scared to retort, which might have made him unpopular among his potential Death Eater peers and their family. Harry wondered why a clever man like him had not detected the his dangerous position that he was in. Had he dropped his guard because of the recent capture of Bellatrix Lestrange, known to be the last of the enemy? Or had he been cheated by someone he thought he could trust?

Harry thought about his brother Teddy. He remembered the boy as having dark hair hanging like curtains around his face, and always hanging out by himself. Could he have somehow be connected to his brother's disappearance?

"You'd better get some sleep Potter. We are going to Teddy's tomorrow," Draco said closing his book, and waved his wand to blew out the lamp. Feeling like naked under Malfoy's inexplicable tendency to read his mind, Harry hopped out of the couch and slid under his covers, and endeavored to wipe his mind blank. But he couldn't get the strange feeling, like his heart was suspended in mid-air, out from under his skin. He stared at the ceiling and willed sleep to come.

Malfoy looked sideways towards at the patch of darkness curled up in the bed beside his. The green eyes were wide open and the moonlight reflected from his irises. He wondered what the other boy was thinking.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Teddy woke up with the sun in his eyes. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, which was growing a little out of control, flopping down his shoulders, and summoned a cup of muggle coffee from his cupboard. He liked the taste of muggle coffee because it chases away the drowsiness and bad feelings of the night before. Flopping down before his kitchen fire, he drank to the health of Draco Malfoy as he thought about his blond hair and sharply-cut features. He sighed, wondering when he can get the confidence of his long-admired "Lord".

The kitchen fire crackled loudly and emitted green sparks. Teddy had just the time to jump out of the way as two figures crashed out of his fireplace, and headlong onto the thinly-rugged floor.

"Holy s**t! Malfoy, I thought I told you to give me a warning before you come." Teddy yelled, his beloved coffee splashed into a puddle at his feet. "You can't just come in through my fireplace like that! What if you saw me naked?" "I'm afraid I won't enjoy the pleasure of the sight," Malfoy said briskly, while helping a dust covered Harry onto his feet, "anyway, it's already ten. Who would have expected you to sleep this late?"

Teddy mouthed silent curses at him before reaching out a hand to Harry. "You must be Harry Potter," "I am." Harry said, giving his hand a slight squeeze. "I believe we have seen each other before, but-" "Never really spoken, yeah." Harry gave a slight chuckle. Teddy's features were handsome under the curtain of dark hair, but his natural expression was that of a cool politeness, which broke into a small smile as he registered Harry's words and appearance. "Sorry about the poor entrance. Make yourselves comfortable; I'll—I'll get you guys a cup of tea." He disappeared behind the counter.

"Making themselves comfortable" was truly a difficult task to accomplish, Harry thought as he looked around the small living, which cluttered with stacks of books and parchments taller than a person, with a cupboard crammed with unnamed objects. Apparently, this bloke was fanatic about potions, since photographs of famous potion masters were cut and posted on the wall, including, Harry saw with a pang, a photograph of Severus Snape. Evidently favored by the collector, the photograph featured an enlarged Snape staring down at him from his even larger nose.

Fortunately, Draco had clearly come to this place before. Harry could tell from the easy way through which he picked his way through the clusters of furniture, books, and potion ingredients piled on the floor, finally stopping at a small wooden table with burns and cuts here and there. Harry wondered if this table was used to cut up potion ingredients.

"Don't worry, the table's harmless, though I did use it for cutting ingredients," Teddy appeared with a loaded, delicate tea tray that looked out of place in the messiness of the flat. He took the cup Teddy had handed him, and took a sip from the cup with flowery edges. Harry felt the liquid melt immediately in his mouth. "What is that?" "It's rosebud leaves with honey." Draco said, looking to Teddy for confirmation. Teddy smiled. "Not exactly. With maple syrup and a dab of chrysanthemum." "Is it really rosebud?" Harry sniffed the content. The smell was familiar somehow. At first it was sweet and comforting, but as inhaled deeper it turned cool and sharp but enticing all the same. At first sniff it reminded him of the rose-flavored shampoo he had used at Ginny's place. But it was not. The essence of the smell was something familiar but unnameable. Almost like the whiff he had taken up the night he had drifted off in Butterbeer Bar. The smell of liquor?

"So Teddy, make yourself useful. When was the last time you saw your brother?" Draco asked, taking small sips from his own cup.

Teddy flipped back his hair. "Well, he came to my house last Friday and we had a nice little reunion." "Reunion? Of what kind?" Harry asked seriously, green eyes keenly recording Teddy's every move. Teddy smiled and sipped his own drink. "Just a few bottles of butterbeer, and a nice little chat about his fiancé and how they are planning to marry in June." "What, he came all the way to Sweden to discuss his wedding plans with you?" Draco asked, eyeing Teddy sharply. "Why are you so tense today Draco? I have no idea of his plans in Sweden, but it's certain that he didn't come to visit me. But he did say that he was in some errand of the Ministry." Harry exchanged a quick look with Malfoy. As far as they know, the Department of foreign affairs did not issue any task to Taylor Traits in the last two weeks. But Sweden is the plausible place, because of the usually thick layer of magic surrounding the country. "Is this the first time that he has been here? Your brother, I mean." Harry asked Teddy. "It's the first time I met him here. Before that I have no idea of my brother's whereabouts. He never reports to me, obviously." Harry couldn't help noticing that Teddy castes side way glances at Malfoy as he speaks, as if subtly seducing him to pick up his undertone. Almost as if he was flirting with Malfoy. Harry loosened his tie a little as the room suddenly grew hot to him. Teddy and Malfoy? Merlin, he must have drunk too much tea.

"Well, you don't seem worried at his disappearance," Draco noted coolly, "You're not on good terms with him." "Ha," Teddy snorted, "Save your evil maneuverings. He testified for me in court." He added simply, gaze drifting off into the distance. Harry couldn't help but notice his eyes tear up a little. Feeling embarrassed, he turned his head, only to find himself dizzy at the sudden motion. "Potter!" Draco gave a surprised yelp, "What's wrong, Potter?" Harry struggled to stand up, "It's the drink...he put something in the drink..." He felt a strong arm catch him around the waist, while its owner whipped out his wand and shouted something...

Blackness washed over Harry as slumped against a shoulder.

**Guys reviews plz! Really look forward to seeing your reaction to this!**


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